case study psychology definition

case study psychology definition

Case Study in Psychology

1. Introduction to Case Study

Case studies are one of the most popular methods in research and apply to different situations, whether that is social or clinical. Case studies are a descriptive research design and it’s a form of qualitative research. At this point, you might be asking what a case study is. They are non-routine intensive analysis of an individual, organization, or social unit. It entails a detailed contextual analysis of a limited number of events or conditions and their relationships. Case study research may seem confusing to some for difficult to understand where this type of research has been performed, or where the application is. In this essence, case studies have been done all around the world, giving an account of a valuable experience or an experience which has influenced the person’s life. On the other hand, case studies have been used in clinical settings to test the effectiveness of certain therapeutic methods. At other times, a case study can be designed to develop more knowledge on a certain particular discipline such as law or environment. From then and now, it is evident that our focus is to gain information about cases that are experiences and that are contemporary through the intensive research of events. Case study has strong ties to isolated psychological testing as a method of research, an example being that cognitive findings in some case studies have been found to resemble the phenomenon that the testers were trying to find.

2. Importance of Case Study in Psychology

In the study of psychology, case studies are often used to explore the depths of abnormal behavior. They are detailed investigations of individuals who are examined for psychological disorders. This method is particularly useful in the area of depression. One popular case is that of Peter who was studied by Lewinsohn. After analyzing 30 hours of interviews and daily records, some useful information was collected. This included what led up to the depression (loss of job and a move), thoughts during the depression, and what activities he got involved in. Peter’s experiences were later compared to his self-reported life satisfaction and feelings over an extended period of time. Lewinsohn used this information to develop an interactive theory, which suggests that the onset of depression restricts the opportunities to get reinforcement from the environment – negative life event -> no pleasant activities -> no reinforcement. This can maintain or even increase the level of depression and creates a few testable hypotheses. Another example is the study of R who was examined using a series of interviews that were conducted once a week. This was used to establish what the relationship was between the style of thinking by R and changes across several episodes of depression. This research determined that R’s depression was associated with highly focused negative attention on himself, the world, and the future. A particular inferential pattern involving the inferences of causes and consequences was also identified, and this research can be used to explore the link between the type of thinking and the mood. These studies enable a rich insight into the lives of those involved and provide great depth of understanding. However, the ability to generalize such findings to the wider population is limited.

3. Steps to Conduct a Case Study

Select the Case and Determine the Type: When deciding which case will be studied, there is a choice between an intrinsic and an instrumental case. An intrinsic case is chosen to gain an understanding of the case itself, whereby on completion of the study, no other case is pursued. An instrumental case is selected when the case itself is used to understand a more general question. The choice between the two depends on the type of study being conducted and the resources available.

Prepare to Collect the Data: The case study requires a great deal of detailed data and it is often gathered from several different sources. Try to obtain the person’s previous school records, psychiatric records, test scores results, interviews, and direct observation of behavior. This then provides the researcher with many sources of data which in turn adds to the validity of the study results. This step is typically carried out over a long period of time as data collecting can be a very lengthy process.

Determine the research question: The very first step in conducting a case study is to determine a clear research question. It must be a question that is to be answered by the in-depth study of the single unit. This can in turn use previous knowledge as a basis to form the question and to give the study a clear goal.

As stated earlier, a case study is an in-depth study of a single individual or a small group of individuals. It is a highly detailed study giving an emphasis to the exhaustive and detailed analysis of a single unit. Now we shall turn our focus to the procedure of conducting a case study by carrying out the following basic steps.

4. Benefits and Limitations of Case Study

One of the primary deficiencies with case studies is that they have a lot of detail which may not be initially related to the hypothesis being tested. The data may also be distorted by the researcher’s preconceptions. This is especially true with the less structured forms of case study, such as the Grounded Theory approach, where the researcher tends to give up a certain amount of control over his research. This was seen in the now famous case of Little Hans, where it was found that clinical notes made by Freud were retrospectively altered to fit in with some of his theories. It has also been suggested that case studies are biased in that the researcher conducting the study is more susceptible to believing that the data gathered supports their conclusions. This is because case studies are open to interpretation and as the data is rich and detailed, then it is easy to form an opinion based on the evidence, even though it is not necessarily the case. Another problem is that the data is often not easily generalizable to the larger population. This is okay if the aim of the study is to investigate a rare occurrence, however it does limit the utility of the findings to the rest of the field of psychology. Despite these weaknesses, the usefulness of case studies cannot be underestimated. They are a means of preserving detailed information about a particular person or event and serve a great deal of historical value. They are a practical way of examining psychological phenomena and rely on the same evidence as would be used in research of any other type. Often they provide the platform for further research on better controlled studies and are an excellent way for apprentices to learn the trade; enabling them to ask the right sort of questions in their domain. Case studies also provide useful evidence for the effectiveness of certain therapies and can be a great aid to those suffering from particular disorders.

5. Examples of Case Studies in Psychology

Despite these advantages and the importance of case studies, the method has been subject to criticism, particularly by the behaviorists. The transferability of the results to other cases has been questioned, and it has been argued that case study research ‘cannot be generalized because the case is unique’ (Burton 1968). Freud himself may have been guilty of this as he based the majority of his theories on individual case studies. Case studies still have a place in modern psychology and are a highly effective method of research; they provide a detailed insight into a rare or otherwise impossible to study, and they can provide leads for further research. Case studies have been used in many areas of psychology, including abnormal, clinical, cognitive, developmental, and social psychology. Because this is a time-consuming method of research, it is important that the researcher makes clear boundaries on the extent to which information obtained can be used in the public domain.

Freud’s most famous case studies include Little Hans (1909a) and The Rat Man (1909b). Even today, an ‘idiographic’ method is one of the most useful techniques in psychology. The idiographic method aims to provide a detailed understanding of the individual case (Little Hans) and is usually associated with methods such as the clinical interview or the use of case studies. The information provided has a rich degree of psychological detail, which can be useful in forming hypotheses and theories about human behavior. Case studies also provide an effective tool to teach students, and in recent years, the use of the case study method in higher education has been highly valued. This is particularly so with the students following more vocational courses. For example, case studies have been used to study educational attainment, i.e., in the Massey and Mead education case study (1991) and social work with families (Chamberlin and Howe 1988).